A New Life
by Pia P
Summary: Mac and Christine goes to Chicago on a trip, but an old foe from Mac's past turns up. Now it's a race against time for Mac to save a person that he loves more than anything.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

It was a dark and cold Friday morning, and Mac was awakened by the lack of a person by his side. He opened his eyes and looked to his left side and indeed, Christine wasn't there. He got out of bed and looked around the bedroom – she wasn't in the room. He looked out into the adjoining bathroom, but she wasn't there either. Mac thought is was strange, because he normally was the first person to wake up in the morning. He walked down the hallway and into the living room, and there by the window was Christine. She looked out on New York's skyline with a cup of steaming coffee in her hands. Mac walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Morning Christine. What are you doing up so early? The time is only 5:30 am," Mac said and kissed the back of her neck and Christine turned around slowly. She leaned against Mac and wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him on the lips. She loved the sight of him in the morning, in his pajama pants, an old NAVY t-shirt, and his hair all tousled. He looked so handsome and carefree – a total contrast to when he came home from the Crime Lab late in the evenings.

"I couldn't sleep. I'm too happy to sleep. I can't get last night out of my head," Christine said and turned her head, so she could see Mac. Mac gave her a big smile, took her left hand and looked at the newly placed engagement ring. It was a simple ring of silver and with one white gemstone in the size of a pea.

He was so nervous the day he bought the ring – he had actually thought that the second time would be easier than the first time, but he was so wrong. He had the same feelings and worries now as when he bought Claire's engagement ring 18 years earlier.

Mac had decided to propose to Christine six weeks, ago after her being kidnapped. He had decided that he wouldn't postpone the proposal any longer, afraid she would disappear, just like Clair. They have lived together for little over ten month, and everything was going okay. There had been some adjustments for both of them, but they weren't bigger than they got over them quickly.

Mac thought back to last night, where he had taken Christine to her favorite restaurant. He had to pull in a lots of strings to get a reservation, because it was Valentine's Day and the restaurant was already fully booked. But he used his contacts good enough to get a table. He had given it a lot of thoughts about how to present the ring to Christine; should he hide it in the dessert, should he place it in her champagne-glass or should he be traditional and knell to her while he presented her the ring in the box? At first he thought of proposing at home after the dinner, or even on the rooftop, but he left that thought pretty quickly, because it would too similar to the way he proposed to Claire, and this should be a new beginning and a new life. Therefor he decided to go the traditional way, and before the dessert came, he got down on one knee and popped the big question.

Christine was astonished and speechless as she looked at him, and he couldn't help but thinking if it was the right place to propose. But after a minute she had regained the ability to speak. With tears rolling down her cheeks, she answered him with a mushy "yes" and threw herself in his arms. After Christine had placed herself back on the chair, Mac took the ring out of the box and placed it on her finger and gave her a long and passionate kiss.

Mac returned to the present and looked back at Christine's face and kissed her cheek.

"I have a surprise for you," Mac said with a shy smile. Christine looked at Mac with a huge smile on her face.

"I don't think, that I can handle another of your surprises Mac. The last one was pretty big," Christine said, wondering what Mac was up to. Mac chuckled and stroked her left hand, which he still held in his hand.

"Don't worry. It's not as big as the surprise last night. Close your eyes," Mac said and his eyes were shining with excitement. Christine closed her eyes and Mac led her into the study, where he placed her on the office chair. He opened the desk drawer, grabbed two pieces of rectangular papers, and gave them to Christine.

"Open your eyes," Mac said softly while he looked at Christine, a little nervous about her reaction. Christine opened her eyes, and looked at what Mac had placed in her hand. It was two airline tickets from _LaGuardia_ Airport to _Chicago O'Hare International Airport. _Christine looked up at Mac.

"Mac? What's this? We're going to Chicago?" she said surprised and looked from the plane tickets to Mac.

Mac had placed himself on the desk and he looked Christine in the eyes. "We're going to Chicago. Today actually. I've taken care of it all. Philippe will manage the restaurant the three days we're in Chicago, and Jo will be acting head of the Crime Lab," Mac said quietly. Christine looked at Mac. She was completely flabbergasted, and she didn't know what to say. "I thought that you would like to see the city where I grew up in and meet my mother before we're getting married," Mac said, his voice a little uncertain.

Christine looked down at the tickets again. She had been all over the US, where she had attended several seminars about restaurant management, but she had never been in Chicago before. And now she was about to go to Chicago for the first time in her life and on he top of that, she was about to meet Mac's mother, her future mother in law.

Mac was nervous, because Christine hadn't said anything in several minutes. "Christine, what are you thinking? Don't you want to see Chicago and my mother?" He looked worryingly at Christine, thinking that it perhaps was to much for her to handle at the same time. After what had seemed like hours for Mac, but had in fact only lasted a minute, Christine looked back at Mac.

"It's just a little overwhelming. First your wonderful proposal last night and now this – a trip to your hometown and meeting your mother for the very first time. It's a lot to take in at once," Christine said quietly before she looked back at Mac. Christine saw the worry on Mac's face and gave his left knee a reassuringly squeeze. "I would love to visit Chicago and your mother with you. I'm just a little nervous about meeting your mother. What if she doesn't approve of me?" she asked, revealing her biggest fear. A smile was back on Mac's face and he squatted in front of her.

"If my mother just see a fraction of what I see in you, then you have nothing to worry about. She'll love you," Mac said reassuringly and with a big smile on his face.

Christine bent her head down and kissed Mac on his lips. When she straightened up again she tried to stifle a yawn, but it failed.

"Come back to bed with me. There's several hours before we have to leave for the airport," Mac said while looking her in the eyes. He stood up, took the tickets and placed them on the desk. Then he took hold on Christine's hands and guided her back to the bedroom and placed her on the bed. He walked to the other side of bed and lied down on his back. Christine huddled beneath the covers and snuggled into Mac, with her head resting on his chest.

"I love you Mac Taylor," Christine murmured quietly against Mac's chest. Mac kissed the top of her head and led his finger down her nose.

"I love you too Christine Whitney – soon to be Whitney-Taylor. Now go to sleep, you're tired," Mac murmured against Christine's hair.

Christine closed her eyes and slowly drifted into sleep. Mac stayed awake a little while longer, while he thought about how much he was looking forward to presenting Christine to his mother and how good it would be to see her again. He hadn't spoken to her since Christmas and he missed her. He could hear in her voice, the last time they spoke on the phone, that she was concerned about his well being after the shooting in the pharmacy. He hoped that seeing him would make her calm down and be more relaxed. It would be good to come back to Chicago again. Last time he was there was in 2007, but that trip wasn't for pleasure. He was there because of his 333-stalker – Drew Bedford. Slowly also he drifted into sleep, while he held Christine closely to him.

The next time Mac opened his eyes the time was 8:30 am. Christine was still snuggled up against him. He kissed Christine on the top of her head. "Hey sleepyhead. We have to pack and get ready. We don't want to miss our flight," he said softly. Christine snuggled closer to him and murmured something incomprehensible against his chest. Mac couldn't help but smile. "Sorry, but I didn't quite get that," he clucked. Christine lifted her head a little bit and gave Mac a kiss on his cheek.

"I said that you disturbed my sleep. I had this wonderful dream," Christine said a little grumpy before she placed her head back on Mac's chest.

Mac who had drawn lazy circles on her arm pulled her into a lovingly hug, and he kissed her on the head again. "I'm sorry, but we have to get up. I'll prepare the breakfast and you go and take a nice shower," he said and gave her one more kiss on the top of her head.

With these words, Mac got out of bed and headed towards the kitchen, and Christine snuggled deeper under the covers. "If I can't hear the water running in about two minutes, then I'll pour a bucket of ice-cold water over you," he threatened. Mac had stuck his head in the bedroom with a sly smile on his face. Quickly Christine got her head free of the covers and looked at Mac with her eyes wide open.

"You wouldn't dare," she said, doubting whether or not he would actually do it. Mac walked to her bedside and gave her a light kiss on her lips

"Try me," he simply said, grinning. And then for the second time he headed to the kitchen. Christine couldn't believe what she just heard Mac threatened her with. Goosebumps began to appear all over her body with the mere thought of being drenched with ice-cold water.

"You have one minute left. You better be going if you don't want to bath in ice-cold water," Mac yelled from the kitchen. Christine almost jumped out of the bed and ran into the bathroom. She turned the hot water on, got undressed and stepped into the shower.

While she enjoyed the feeling of the hot water on her body, she thought of what to say to Mac's mother when they would arrive at Chicago later that day. She was a little nervous about the whole thing, because this was her very first time she ever would meet a parent to her boyfriends. She hadn't been in a relationship this serious before and therefor she didn't know how to act. She looked forward to meet Mac's mother, but the fear of her not linking her was hanging like a big black cloud over her head.

Meanwhile out in the kitchen, Mac was preparing the breakfast. He was about to get the bucket out from under the sink, but in the same moment he could hear the shower be turned on. "Well... Threats always works," he said out lout to himself. He continued to prepare the coffee and the food, boiled eggs, some yoghurt, granola and some fruit.

Just as he had placed the eggs on the table, Christine came walking down the hallway. She was already in her normal clothes and her hair was dry. Mac just loved the way she smelled when she was freshly washed. "You shouldn't have made all this. The granola would have been sufficient," she said lovingly, while she wrapped her arms around his waist and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Mac just smiled at her.

"Anything for you. And remember, this isn't a normal morning like all the others. This is our first morning and breakfast as upcoming married people," he simply said.

They both took a seat at the table and began to eat their breakfast. While they were eating, they talked about what they should do and see in Chicago. Mac wanted to show Christine the neighborhood he grew up in, where he went to school and where he spent all of his free time. Furthermore he wanted to show her Chicago's most famous trade/landmarks like The Willis Tower, The Tribune Tower, Chicago Cultural Center and so on.

"Where will we stay? Have you booked a room at a hotel or something?" Christine asked excited and looked at Mac, who was taking a sip of his coffee. Mac swallowed and looked a little nervous.

"Uhm... no. I have arranged it so we can stay at my mother's place. She still lives in the house my parents lived in before my father died, and there are plenty of room for us to stay there for the weekend. I thought it was a perfect way for you two to get to know each other," he said and looked nervous at Christine. Christine looked seriously at Mac and she placed her spoon in the yoghurt.

"But Mac, what if she doesn't like me? Then we're forced to live under the same roof the entire weekend," she said nervously, afraid that she would hurt his feelings. Mac took a grab of her right hand and stroked it softly.

"Why do you think that my mother will hate you? I told you earlier this morning, that she will love you from the moment you see each other. She will see how happy you make me, and she will be very much pleased with it, because she haven't seen me really happy since before Claire died," he said reassuringly. Christine looked in Mac's eyes and saw his love for her. He was right, it was only her own fear that haunted her.

"Your right. So what shall I pack for clothes?" she asked him, trying to bring back the good mood. Mac gave her a big smile and took another bite of his melon.

"Well, you have to bring some warm clothes. You know that the city is also called "The windy city" – and it's true. The wind this time of year is freezing and I don't want you to catch a cold. And then you should also pack some formal clothes, because I will take you and my mother out on a restaurant one evening," he said with a huge smile on his face. Christine got up from the chair, walked to Mac's side of the table, placed herself in his lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Do you know how much I love you? I feel that you're spoiling me with this weekend trip to Chicago," she said and looked lovingly at him. Mac gave her a deep kiss and wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him.

"Yes I know, and you deserve to be spoiled with all the help you have given me after the shooting and your kidnapping. Now, if you will begin to pack, then I'll take care of the dishes. And when I'm done, I'll take a quick shower, shave and then I'll help you pack," he said warmly and lovingly. Christine gave Mac another kiss on his lips, before she got up and headed to their bedroom and started the packing, and Mac began to clean up in the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The drive to _LaGuardia_ Airport took under 20 minutes, and Mac helped the taxi driver getting their suitcases out of the trunk.

A_t exactly 2:15 pm Mac and Christine were standing in the __arrivals in Chicago O'Hare International Airport. Mac took a grab of her hand and __intertwined his fingers with hers and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "Welcome to Chicago – The windy city," Mac proudly said and looked at Christine. Christine smiled and looked around, but because they still were inside there wasn't much to see. She couldn't wait to get out side and see everything Chicago had to offer. "Come, let's find my mother," Mac said and __began to make his way through the crowd, but he __hadn't gone far before he stopped abruptly and took to his head. Christine first looked at Mac and then over at the crowd and spotted the thing, that had made Mac stop. There was a big sign, a few feet away that read:_

_"__McKenna Llewellyn Taylor._

___Welcome home my boy._

___I missed you."_

_Christine couldn't help but laugh – and not just a little laugh, but a big laugh that made people around them look. She looked at Mac, who still had his head in his one hand. "I swear to God, if she wasn't my mother I would turn around and go in the opposite direction," Mac said __slightly embarrassed at the __sight. Christine thought it was sweet. __It was perhaps a little exaggerated, but it showed that his mother loved him. Christine gave his hand a little __squeeze and tried to find the person who was holding the sign, but she couldn't. There was to many people. Mac began to move again in the direction of the sign. Suddenly there was a voice that was yelling, "McKenna! You're here. I missed you so much."_

_Now Christine could see a not so high, elderly woman, push her way though the crowd. She looked just like Mac – the same __determined facial expression, that __facial expression he definitely had inherited from her._

_"Hi Mom. Why the sign? I told you to wait __at the entrance," Mac asked politely. Mac's mother, Millie Taylor, __pulled Mac into a big warm hug. Christine couldn't imagine, not having her family close at all time. She couldn't understand how Mac could be okay with not seeing his mother every __once in a while and could do with an __occasionally phone call._

_"McKenna, my sweet boy. I haven't seen you since spring last year, and then you __expect me to wait at the entrance. My dear boy, if I could I would've picked you up out in the plane," Mac's mother said, while she patted his face and pulled him into another embrace. Mac looked more and more like a tomato in the head and Christine had to hide her amusement. She had never seen Mac __so embarrassed and when she looked at him right now, he most of all looked like someone who most of all wanted to crawl into a mouse hole. Christine decided to step in and save him._

_"Hi, Mrs. Taylor. I'm Christine," she said, while she __offered her right hand to Mac's mother to shake. Mrs. Taylor let go of Mac and looked at Christine. Her face __lit up in a broad smile, and the few__ wrinkles she had, became more __prominent. Christine wasn't sure how old Mac's mother were, but from the way she was dressed, Christine would put her in the 70's. Mrs. Taylor had short light blond hair __with a few hint of gray shades, and from that Christine could guess that Mac had his hair color from his father. She was __very smartly dressed, her age in mind. She were __wearing dark jeans, a pair of shiny black shoes and her coat ended on the __middle of the thigh. Around her neck __she wore a very wide scarf in all sorts of colors. __It was almost like looking at a rainbow._

_"__So you are the Christine that Mac has told so much about? Let me look at you," Mrs. Taylor said and __took hold of both of Christine's shoulders and studied her thoroughly. "Yes, you can be proud of her McKenna, and Christine, please call me Millie. Mrs. Taylor __is my late mother in law," she said warmly._

_Mac took Christine's hand again, and pulled her close to him. Christine wrapped one arm around Mac's waist and smiled at Millie. She couldn't understand why she had been so __anxious about meeting Mac's mother._

_"You have become engaged? You haven't told me anything," Millie asked while she pointed at Christine's left hand, and she sounded both surprised and happy at the same time. Christine __shone more strongly than the Christmas Tree at the Rockefeller Center and Mac were__ blushing._

_"__One couldn't keep anything hidden from you Mom. It's still new. I proposed yesterday," Mac __answered. Millie pulled them both into a hug, and kissed them both on their cheeks. Christine was __convinced that Mac's __ability to be so __observant, was a gift he had __inherited from his mother. Mac had begun to lead both Christine and Millie away from the __arrivals and out in the open, to find a taxi and head home to Millie._

_While Mac took the lead, Christine and Millie was walking and talking behind him. Christine told Millie about their very romantic evening and the proposal. Millie was __fascinated by Christine's very beautiful engagement ring, it was a little in the same style as Claire's, however not quite. There wasn't a gem in Claire's ring. __Millie was happy on her son's behalf – he __deserved to be happy again __after so many years of mourning over Claire's too early death._

_Millie lived in a nice __residential neighborhood, with a little __lawn in front of the house. The house was made of bricks __and was whitewashed. __The house was two storeys high, and from what Christine could see, then there also was a basement._

_The frame around the windows was __coated in a dark brown varnish, a color that was very fitting to the whitewashed bricks. At the front door there was a __small veranda with an outdoor bench for two people and a lot of __empty flower pots._

_On both sides of the tiled __garden path__ up to the porch there were rose bushes. They looked miserable without the leaves, but Christine could guess that in the summer the flowers would be so beautiful in whatever color they would be in._

_"You two are going to stay in McKenna's old room," Millie said and looked at them both before she began to walk up the tiled __garden path, up the veranda and unlocked the front door. Christine took her __suitcase and walked up to Millie, while Mac __paid for the ride._

_Inside the hall Christine looked around. Millie lived in a beautiful home – the rooms she could see from where she was standing, __was brightly decorated with __bright furnitures, shelves and bookcases. At her __right side there was __an old merchant sideboard and on that was several pictures – pictures of Mac in his marine and police uniform, pictures of a young boy with his __satchel and a blond haired woman behind him and pictures of Mac and an elderly man. Christine could guess that the picture of the boy with the satchel was Mac and that the woman behind him was Millie __and likewise, she could guess that the picture with the elderly man was Mac's father. She couldn't help but smile at the pictures.__ Admittedly__,__ her family had a close bonding to each other, but looking at these pictures she could see, that Mac always had been close to his parents. __Whether it was because he was an only child, she didn't know._

_An arm was wrapped around her waist, and she jumped a little. Mac was standing behind her, and he was also looking at the pictures. "__It's my father who have taken most of the pictures. One of his biggest hobbies were __photography. I think that my mother __has over 10 albums in the living room, if you're __interested," Mac said both embarrassed and proudly. Christine looked up at Mac and gave him a kiss on the cheek._

_"I would love to see them. I haven't seen you as a boy before – you look quite sweet and adorable," Christine said warmly and Mac __chuckled and began to lead Christine up the stairs to the first floor._

_When they __entered Mac's old room, Millie was placing some __duvet and pillow cases on the bed. "Everything is ready for the two of you. __I'll leave you unpack and relax after the journey. I'll be down in the kitchen," Millie said before she went to Christine and gave her a kiss on her cheek and she did the same thing on Mac. "It's so good that you are back my boy," she said lovingly and Mac gently pulled his mother in his embrace and gave her a kiss on both cheeks._

_"I'm glad too, mom," he said quietly._

_Millie left the room, leaving Mac and Christine to themselves. They began to unpack and when they had finished, Mac __disappeared out on the bathroom with all their __toiletries. Christine took a look around Mac's room – it wasn't so big as she imagined. There was a bookcase, a desk with a lamp and a __bulletin board. On a __bookcase there were some books that was referring to __World War II, __weapons and battle planes through time. Furthermore there was some __model aircraft and __small tin soldiers. No wonder Mac had similar books and__ collectables at home in New York – it was his passion among with __forensic Science._

_Christine placed herself on the bed and when Mac came back from the bathroom, he placed himself next to Christine. "Are you tired? You're so quiet," he said softly and Christine leaned her head on Mac's __shoulders and __inhaled his __scent. She let out a little sigh and moved closer to Mac._

_"I'm not tired. I'm just __overwhelmed, that's all. __There are so many things that I want to see and it's hard to make room for them in my head," she said quietly, enjoying Mac's wonderful scent – a __mixture of his aftershave and the __detergent, and of course her favorite scent in the whole world – Mac. _

_Mac wrapped his arms around Christine, held her closely and kissed her on the top of her head. He couldn't believe how lucky he was. If you had asked him a year and a half ago, he wouldn't have pictured him self together with someone like Christine. He was glad that he took the dive into this relationship instead of running away emotionally._

_"You're handling it well. My mother likes you," Mac said softly, gave her another kiss on the top of her head and gently pulled her even closer to him. They were sitting like this in a couple of minutes__ and enjoyed each others company._

_After a short while, they were disturbed by Millie, who was yelling at them. "McKenna and Christine! I have made some coffee, come join me in the living room."_

_Christine, __reluctantly, pulled away from Mac. They looked smiling at each other, and Mac gave Christine a __passionate kiss. Hand in hand they left the room, went down the stairs and into the living room._

_Millie was already sitting in a big red __armchair __with a steaming hot cup of coffee in front of her, on the __the incredibly beautiful coffee table. The table looked to be over 50 years old, and it was __lacquered in a __red / brownish color and Christine __guessed that the table was made of __mahogany._

_Mac and Christine placed themselves in the __couch, with Mac being the one closest to Millie. The couch was in the same style and color as the armchair, that Millie was sitting in. Mac wrapped his right arm around Christine's shoulders, and Christine looked around the living room._

_There was so many different __trinkets on every __surfaces, __ranging from little owls made of __steel wire with little __beads to __decorative boxes in all sorts of shapes, sizes and colors. Just like out in the hall, there were many pictures of the Taylor-family. These pictures __were scattered around the living room, on __bookcases and sideboards. Behind Millie, Christine could see __a glossy black piano, the lid was open and it __was just so tempting to play on. But Christine __would spare the others to hear her play because she wasn't good at playing the piano – in fact, she couldn't play any instrument at all and she wasn't musically gifted. Christine knew that Mac played the bass guitar, but could he also play the piano? She didn't know. It was as if Mac could hear her unspoken question, because he __answered her._

_"No, I don't play the piano. She tried to teach me, but it didn't catch my interest."_

_Millie gave both Mac and Christine a smile and then she took a sip of her coffee. "What about you Christine? Do you play?", Millie asked Christine and looked interested at her for a moment. Christine were blushing. She __were apparently in a musically home, and she couldn't play an instrument or read nodes._

_"Uhm... no. I had other interests," she said and looked down at her folded hands in her lap, and Mac lovingly grasped her hands._

_"Christine's big interest is food. She __owns her own restaurant back in new York. She's a brilliant chef," Mac said proudly, and Christine became even more red in her face. Millie looked back at Christine._

_"That's nice. Then I don't have to fear that my son isn't getting any proper food," Millie said looking at Mac. Christine couldn't help but chuckle._

_"Mac eating proper food. That rarely happen. When he gets home from work he have already eaten take-out food at the Crime Lab," Christine said with an amused smile on her face and she gave Mac's knee a gentle __squeeze._

_"McKenna, you know better...," Before Millie could finish her __sentence, Mac interrupted her._

_"Mom, won't you play something on your piano? Christine should hear how good you are playing." Millie __sent her son a strict glance and she got up from the couch._

_"Don't think one minute, that we're finish talking about this subject," she said and walked to __the piano, placed herself in front of it and her fingers began their __wandering over the keys._

_The room was filled with the most beautiful tones Christine ever had heard. She just sat looking at Millie's back with awe. Mac slowly drew lazy circles on Christine's shoulder and looked at her and he could see several goosebumps __peeping out from her skin. Millie began to finish the melody and when the last tone was played, she slowly turned around in her seat. Mac and Christine __gave her a huge standing applause and Millie __bowed to her "audience"._

_"Wauw. That was very beautiful. What's the name of the song? It sounded so familiar," Christine asked and looked at Millie._

_"It's a __German composer by the name Johann Pachelbel, who have composed this melody, and the melody's name is ____Canon,__" Millie __explained, while she was returning to her armchair._

_After another hour, where they have talked about Mac and Christine's life in New York, both of their jobs and everything in between, they decided to find a quiet little restaurant down-town Chicago to eat dinner later that evening. Mac and Millie decided to go to the __****__Ruxbin__ restaurant at 851 N Ashland Ave. It was a cozy and quiet restaurant, that Millie and Mac had been to a couple of times before. While Mac were making their reservation, Millie had placed herself in the couch next to Christine, and she was showing old pictures of Mac. Christine couldn't contain her laugh when she saw a picture of Mac in a __soapbox car, with a helmet and everything. She would guess that he was about 10 years old, and he looked awfully cute._

_"McKenna and his Dad won every race that year," Millie said proudly and looked at Mac, who had come back into the room. Mac placed himself on Christine's other side on the couch and placed his arm around her neck. Millie looked back at Christine and the Photo Album in her lap. "At this picture McKenna had just won the science fair at his school." Millie pointed at a picture in the Photo Album, and she said it with proud in her voice._

_"We got a table at 7 PM and I have arranged it, that we'll be picked up by a taxi," Mac informed Christine and Millie. They both looked at Mac and nodded. Christine __drank the last of her coffee and Millie was about to pour her another cup, but Christine __declined by placing her hand on top of the cup._

_"No more. If I drink more coffee I'll be tossing and turning all night – much to Mac's dismay," Christine said with a smile. Mac gave her a gentle kiss on her temple and he took her hand and gave it a soft squeeze. Millie chuckled at the comment and she placed the coffee pot back on the coffee table._

_"Thanks for the coffee Mom," Mac said and looked at Millie before he looked back at Christine. "It's a couple of hours till the taxi is here. What do you say to take a little walk with me? I __want to show you something," Mac said._

_"What will you show me?" Christine asked, but Mac just smiled at her. She hated when he was up to something. She sighed a little before she nodded. "OK. Just give me five minutes," she said and got up from the couch._

_On their little walk around the neighborhood Mac told her things about his childhood, and he showed her his old elementary school, __which was only two blocks away from his __childhood home. __Christine listened eagerly for what Mac told her, and she was fascinated over the stories he told her about his childhood. It __was so rare that he talked about his childhood, so when he did, she __listened to dear life._

_It was early in the __evening and he froze when he saw him. Why the hell was he in Chicago? He only used to be here, when__ he attended __conferences or some other work related bullshit. But then he __saw his mother and a woman he hadn't seen before, and very slowly an idea took form in his head. __For why should he be happy when he wasn't happy himself? It was his fault that his family was broken. __He took one last drag of the cigarette and threw it away on the street. "__See you Mac, and it will not be a happy reunion." __He turned around on his heel and disappeared into the crowd._


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was late in the evening, when the taxi pulled up in front of the house again. Mac paid for the ride while Millie and Christine walked up to the house.

Millie placed both her hands on her stomach and let out a long breath. "Phew ... I have eaten TOO much."

Christine stifled a laugh, placed her arm under Millie's and looked at her. "Well, it's not surprising. You ate two whole desserts."

Millie gave Christine a strict glance. "I blame you. You shouldn't have let me tasted your dessert, it was TOO good not to order one myself." Millie smiled at Christine.

Mac, who was coming up the garden path, looked at the two women and he couldn't help but smile. The meeting between Christine and Millie had gone beyond all expectations. Right now in this Moment he felt like the most happiest man in the world.

30 minutes later, Mac and Christine were lying on the bed, all snuggled under the duvet close together. Christine had her head on Mac's chest – her favorite place in the whole world. She loved listening to Mac's heartbeat, because it brought her a relaxation she had never known before in her life.

"Thank you for a wonderful evening. That restaurant served the best meal I have ever tasted," Christine said with half closed eyes. "I wonder if they would be willing to exchange some recipes with me?"

Mac, who had stared up at the ceiling, placed his head so he could look at Christine. She was so beautiful in the very rare moonlight, that came through the window. "Christine, how would you take it, when another restaurant owner asked for your recipes?", Mac asked her with a smile.

"You know that. I'll protect my recipes with my li...", she said and stopped mid sentence, looking at Mac's face. He looked amused at her, with a gaze that told her "I'm-so-clever-what would-you-do-without-me look?". She slapped him on the chest and he pretended that he was hurt. "You put that gaze away "mister know-it-all", if you know what's best for you."

Mac let out a laugh, pulled her close to him and gave her a deep and passionate kiss. "Oh God... I love you so much", he said and rolled over so she was underneath him. They slowly and quietly began to undress each other.

Mac was the first, as always, to wake up the next morning. He turned his head and looked at Christine. She looked so beautiful when she was sleeping. He turned his gaze at the digital clock on the nightstand and sighed. It was only 6:15 am and it was way to early to get up on a Saturday. Mac snuggled into Christine again, hoping he would drift back into sleep again. But after 30 minutes he gave up. Carefully not to wake Christine, he got out of bed. Mac saw that their nightwear was scattered around the bed. He hoped that his mother hadn't heard them. Slightly blushed he began to pick up the clothes and place them on the large chest at the foot of the bed. He went to the drawer, opened it and took a pair of sweat-pants and a sweat-shirt. If he couldn't sleep he could just take a run. Before he left the room, he went to Christine's side of the bed and gave her a gentle kiss on her cheek. Christine murmured something incomprehensible in her sleep and rolled on her other side. "Absolutely not a morning person," Mac thought with a little chuckle. He went to the door, opened it, and with a last look at Christine he left the room and closed the door behind him.

When Mac was home again, the clock was 7:45 am. Millie was out in the kitchen preparing the breakfast, but Christine wasn't anywhere to be seen. Millie turn around and smiled at Mac.

"Good morning Dear. Was it a nice run?", Millie asked while she poured a steaming cup of coffee and handed it to Mac.

Mac took the cup and took a sip of the hot liquid. "Thanks Mom. Yes it was a nice run. I couldn't fall a sleep again, and I wouldn't wake Christine that early. Has she woken yet?" Mac asked looking out in the hallway.

Millie shook her head, and continued preparing the breakfast. "No, I thought I would serve your breakfast in bed. But now that you're already up, you can bring it up instead.", she said and placed the finished breakfast on a tray, which she then gave to Mac.

Mac was grateful for that. He wasn't fond of the idea, of Millie finding Christine naked in the bed. When Mac was back in the room, he saw that Christine still was a sleep. He placed the tray on the large chest and went to her bedside and sat down. He bent down and caressed her cheek. "Christine, Honey wake up. My mother has made breakfast for us."

Slowly Christine opened her eyes and looked a little bit confused. Then, suddenly she sat up straight in bed and looked around and down herself. "Please tell me, that she wasn't in here", she pleaded Mac, grabbing the duvet to cover her naked torso.

Mac gave her a gentle kiss on her right cheek and stroked her right upper arm. "Don't worry. She hasn't been in here. I met her down in the kitchen when I got home from my run, and I took the tray with me." He didn't feel the need to tell Christine, that if he in fact had come home five minutes later, then his mother would have seen her naked. He could see that Christine was red like a tomato in her head of pure embarrassment, and he couldn't blame her. He pulled her into his embrace and kissed the top of her head. "Give me 15 minutes, and then we eat our breakfast. I want to take a shower first", Mac said and got up from the bed. He looked down at Christine, who had placed her head in her hands. "Hey... Don't worry about it. She has no idea what happened here tonight. Trust me – everything is fine." With one last kiss Mac disappeared out in the bathroom to take a shower.

After the breakfast, all three of them sat on the couch and talked. Christine was happy that Mac had been right – Millie didn't know what had happened between them this night. But she was determined that it won't happen again.

By noon, they went out in the kitchen to prepare some light dinner. Millie had big plans about the dinner later that evening and she wouldn't tell them anything. "It's a surprise," she said and tapped her nose with her finger.

Christine looked from Millie to Mac, and back to Millie again. "But if you don't tell us, how we're supposed to help you prepare it?", Christine asked. She would like to help Millie because it didn't fell right not to help her making dinner – and she loved to cook.

Millie shook her head. "Nonsense. The only thing you two are supposed to do, is being together and make plans for the upcoming wedding," Millie said with a smile and gave Christine's left hand a gentle squeeze.

Mac gave Christine a gentle kiss on her right cheek and got up from the couch. "There's no point in discussing it with her, Christine. My mother is stubborn as a donkey," Mac said with a funny tone in his voice.

Christine raised her one eyebrow and looked at Mac. "Oh... So now I know where your stubbornness comes from," Christine said while she was laughing.

Mac didn't say anything, but his eyes said "You just wait till we're back in New York." When both Christine and Millie was done with the laughing, Mac took Christine's hand. "What do you say to a guided tour at some of the famous landmarks in Chicago?"

Christine wiped some tears away from her eyes and nodded. "It sounds wonderful – I would love to. What should I wear?"

Mac looked out the window and back at Christine. "You should definitely wear something warm – it's cold outside. And take your scarf with you", he said.

"Okay, give me 15 minutes to get ready," Christine said. She gave Mac a kiss on his cheek before she left the living room.

"You did good with her, my dear boy," Millie said while she padded Mac on his cheek. "I hope that this marriage will last longer than the last one."

Mac smiled and pulled Millie into a hug. "I hope that to. If she dies before me, I'll die to."

20 minutes later they said goodbye to Millie and got into the taxi.

Chicago is a big city, a little bigger than New York. Christine was happy that Mac was with her, and that he knew where they were going. He showed her some of the famous landmarks, like The Tribune Tower that have stones from all over the world, in it's outer walls. After some time, Christine began to freeze – even though she was wearing a thick jacket, hat, scarf and mittens.

Mac wrapped one of his arms around her, pulling her close to him. He saw a coffee shop on the other side of the road. "You're cold. Let's get a warm cup of coffee", he said and began to walk over there.

Christine gave him a small kiss on his cheek and followed him. "You are my Knight in shinny armor right now."

Mac chuckled. "I know. And I love that you are my damsel in distress – well only for another few weeks. I have some suggestions for our wedding. Would you like to hear them?"

"Of course Mac. It's my wedding to", Christine said while she was looking at him. She had all ways thought that the wedding was something they would discuss together, but when she saw the joy in Mac's eyes, she knew that whatever she had for suggestions, Mac would agree.

Mac and Christine spend the next hours in the coffee shop. Mac would be sure that Christine was warm again, before the went out in the cold. Mac looked at his watch, it was 4.45 pm. "I think it's time to go home again. My Mom all ways serves the dinner at exactly 6:00 pm", Mac said and looked up and down the streets to find a free taxi.

"Thank you for a wonderful afternoon. I hope that we can do this more often", Christine said and gave Mac a big hug.

Mac found a free taxi and they both got in. During the ride home, Mac and Christine had their fingers entwined. Mac looked out the window with a strange feeling in his stomach, but he couldn't put words on this uncomfortable feeling.

Christine had noticed how quiet and withdrawn Mac was, so she gave his hand a gentle squeeze. "Mac, Honey? What's wrong? You're so quiet and you have that "I'm-thinking" face on", she said and looked worried at him.

"I didn't know I had a certain facial expression when I'm thinking," he said with a little smile. "But you're right. I have a funny feeling, that something's not right. But I don't know what it is," he continued. He looked at Christine and then out the window again.

"Is it something wrong in the Crime Lab in New York?", Christine asked. She wanted to help Mac getting rid of this feeling.

Mac looked at her again. "No it can't be it. If there was anything wrong in the Lab, Jo would have called me. I don't know... I just can't shake this feeling of," he said a little frustrated.

Five minutes later, the taxi pulled up in front of the house. While Mac paid for the trip, Christine stood waiting for him on the sidewalk. She turned around and looked at the house. And what she saw was very strange. The whole house was dark – not a single light was burning and it was pitch dark outside. "Mac... the feeling you have, I think you're right – look, not a single window is lit," she said while she was looking at the house.

The taxi drove away and Mac turned around facing the house. He froze in the spot and all his internal alarm bells rang. Slowly he walked up to the house and Christine followed. "Christine, stay on the sidewalk," he said firmly without turning to face her. He could hear Christine stop and that she took a step back. He continued up to the house and with the bottom corner of his jacket he opened the door. Inside the hall there was totally quiet. Slowly he walked to the merchant sideboard and opened one of it's drawers. He found a little flashlight. If there was someone else in the house, it wasn't safe turning the light on.

Mac went trough the hallway and he could hear his own wild heartbeat – he didn't like this feeling at all. With the flashlight he looked in the kitchen. There was one knocked over chair and Mac could see that his mother had been preparing the dinner, because various foods were out on the kitchen table. A cold shiver run down Mac's spine.

Slowly he turned around and headed into the living room. In here several furniture were knocked over and were scattered around the room and the same was the pictures. On the only book stand who still was standing, Mac saw a stain. Mac walked closer and his heart was in his throat. "Please don't be blood. Please don't be blood," he whispered. But the closer he came, he realized that it was blood. Mac felt a rage building up inside, and the only thing he could think of, was to find his mother before it was to late.

He left the living room and made an examination of rest of the house. There wasn't anything different on the first floor, but his mother wasn't in the house. Someone had taken her.

Out on the street Christine looked at Mac disappearing into the house. A thousand thoughts ran through her head. What had happened? Was Millie hurt? Was it a heart attack and was she lying unconscious i the house? Christine wanted to go inside the house, but Mac had ordered her to stay out here on the sidewalk. After what have felt like years, she could see Mac coming out from the house. He looked like he had seen a ghost – he was pale white in his face and his eyes radiated anger and anxiety. She began to walk up to him, a little nervous. "Mac, what's wrong?", she asked placing a hand on his shoulder.

Mac looked at Christine and he was shaking with anger. "Someone has kidnapped my mother. God damn it!", he said and looked back at the house.

Christine took both her hands to her mouth and let out a loud gasp. "Millie... I can't believe it. What are we going to do?", she asked him. Poor Millie, Christine thought. Although it was several month since she had been kidnapped herself, she could still wake up after having nightmares of it. She didn't want any people to have this experience.

Just as Mac was about to say something, his cellphone rang. He looked at the caller-ID, but it was a blocked number. "Mac Taylor", he answered.

"Hi Mac," said a cold, hard voice. "Do you love your mother? Don't answer that – I know you do. My real question to you is on the other hand – what will you do to get her safely and unharmed back?"

Mac's grip on his cellphone became harder and harder. It was a voice he hadn't heard in several years. It was none other than Drew Bedford.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

"What have you done with her, Bedford? I swear to God... If you harm her, I will hunt you down." Mac looked around, to check if he could see Bedford but he couldn't. Him and Christine were the only people out on the street. Bedford laughed and the sound brought another cold shiver down Mac's spine.

"That was exactly the answer I was looking for," Bedford said. "You're willing to play my little game, but remember... the stake is high – your dear mothers life."

Christine looked at Mac. He was talking about a person she didn't know. She remembered, that she have read about a Bedford in _"The New York Times"_ some years ago, but what the article was about she couldn't remember.

"I have no intention of playing your little game, Bedford," Mac said in the phone. "I hated your shenanigans the first time, and I definitely also hate them now," Mac couldn't decide whether to walk back into the house, stay on the sidewalk or end the call so he could call the Chicago PD.

"I can see, that you don't know what to do," Bedford said. "But allow me to make a small suggestion. You missed something inside the house. What game inventor would I be, if I didn't gave you some clues, how to find her?"

Once again Mac looked around to find Bedford's location. He had to be in the near since he could see him. But just like the last time, he couldn't find him.

"Stop looking for me, for you can't see me. You're wasting precious time to find and save your mother," Bedford said with a hard voice. "Now be a good boy and go back into the house and find my little clue."

"You're making this harder for yourself Bedford. Give op now – you don't want to mess with me," Mac said in an equally hard voice like Bedford's. "Haven't you learned anything from our previous encounter? I'll all ways win."

"Like I said before, you're wasting precious time," Bedford said like he didn't care what Mac had just told him. "Oh... And by the way, nice girlfriend you have, or should I say fiance? Take good care of her. We wouldn't want her to get hurt, would we? And one more last thing – you have until 9 pm," And then he hung up.

Mac stared on his phone. "That son of a bitch! I should have killed him back then," Mac said and dropped the phone in his pocket. In 2007 he wouldn't kill Bedford, because he thought that the family had suffered enough – a decision he regretted right now.

"Mac, who's Bedford?" Christine broke the silence. She felt like she was left out, a feeling she didn't like. She looked at Mac, but he didn't answered her. He continued to stare out in the darkness. "Mac. Does this Bedford have your mother? Come on... Answer me, please," Christine tried again and it helped.

"Drew Bedford is a man, that back in 2007, harassed me. He was blaming me for the murder of his older brother. He was beaten to death when we were kids. Last time though, Bedford used my entire team back in New York for his plan of revenge," he said and a dark shadow slid across his face. Back in 2007, Bedford was willing to kill him to get his revenge; what about now? He had to find his mother before it was to late.

Christine was in chock. She couldn't think strait. She looked at Mac. "Mac, we have to tell the police. There is nothing here you can do. It's out of your hands."

Mac had thought of getting the police involved, but just until Bedford had told him about the time limit. Not even his team back in New York could work so fast. He had three hours to find his mother. "No, no police," Mac said. "Bedford told me that I have to till 9:00 pm to find her, and if the police are involved in this, then I won't find her in time."

With one more look at Christine he took grab of her arm, and walked back towards the house.

When they were inside, Mac closed and locked the door. Now that Bedford knew that they were back in the house, Mac turned the light switch on. He looked at Christine. "Help me find a clue. Bedford told me, that he had placed a clue somewhere in the house, that will help me find my mother – but you have to be in the same room as I'm in."

Christine looked at Mac. "But it will be a lot faster if we split up."

"It may well be, but it's safest to stay together. Bedford is unpredictable, and I don't want that anything should happen to you," Mac said, and Christine could see the worries in his eyes.

Mac and Christine went out in the kitchen and started looking for a clue. "Do you know what kind of clue it is?" Christine asked, while she was looking around the room.

Mac was by the sink and opened all the drawers and cupboards. "No he didn't," He continued to rummage around hoping to find something out of place. "I'm looking for something that is out of place, something that doesn't belong here."

After 15 minutes of searching, they returned empty handed to the hall. Mac looked around the room.

"This is a joke. If we're going to search the whole house through, it will take several hours and then, we won't be able to find my mother in time," Mac said.

Christine looked in side the living room, and the most odd thing that she could see, was the one bookshelf who was still standing. "Mac, don't you think it's a little strange that this bookshelf is the only one standing?"

Mac looked at Christine and then at the bookshelf. Perhaps she was right, but then again it seemed to obvious. Bedford was much more crafty to be placing the clue like that. "Don't you think it's a little to obvious? It's almost so obvious, that it's a crime," he said and turned around facing Christine.

"It might be, but look at that photo album – it's upside down," Christine said while she was pointing at the album.

Mac looked at the album. He hadn't noticed it before. The only thing he had noticed was the bloodstain on the corner. He went to the bookshelf and took the album out. He walked back and placed himself on the couch with the album on his lab. Quickly he turned the pages, while he was thinking that this a waste of time. But half way through the album, he saw a handwritten note.

_Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,  
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.  
All the king's horses and all the king's men  
Couldn't put Humpty together again._

_(NPES)_

Christine looked at the note. "It's a nursery rhyme, but what's with the "NPES"? Perhaps it's the writer's initials?"

Mac looked at Christine. "I don't think that it's the writers initials. There are different theories about who's the writer, but to this day, the author to this nursery rhyme remains a mystery."

Christine placed herself next to Mac on the couch and looked on the pictures in the album. All eight pictures was of Mac as a child. He looked so cute and adorable. In a picture he stood with Millie, he had his satchel in one hand and he smiled to the photographer, Mac's father she would guess. In another picture Mac stood in something that looked like a schoolyard. He was together with three other boys and they playing with a football. In a third picture, Mac was inside a classroom, sitting by his desk looking at his teacher. On the blackboard the teacher had written "WELCOME TO 2nd GRADE!" Christine looked at the rest of the pictures – they were all school related. A thought struck Christine and she looked at Mac, who was still looking at the nursery rhyme.

"Mac, what was the name of your elementary school?"

Mac looked at Christine. "North Park Elementary School. Why?"

Christine took the note from Mac and looked at what she had thought were the writers initials. Could it really be what she thought it would be?

"Mac, these letters, NPES, can refer to North Park Elementary School," she said and looked at Mac. At first Mac looked confused, had Bedford taken his mother to his old school? It made no sense at all. If he had, he would already have been detected by the school's alarm system. Every school in the US should have alarms according to the law.

Mac looked back down at the note in Christine's hand. NPES. North Park Elementary School. It made sense actually. But what if they were wrong? This search and the talking about the nursery rhyme had taken 35 minutes. If they went to the school and it was the wrong place, it didn't leave them much time to get to the right place.

"Mac? We have to go. This is our only good lead," Christine said and placed her left hand on Mac's right arm. Mac took the note, folded it, placed it in his pocket and left the room and the house with Christine.

Luckily was North Park Elementary School not so far away from the house. Mac and Christine ran all the way, and when they stood in front of the school, Mac looked at his watch; 6:45 pm.

The school was a single storey building. The school was made of bricks in the color red, brown and black. The main entrance was protected by a shed and the entrance area were kept in glass and on both sides of the entrance, stood two benches. In front of the building there was a tiled path, that led to the sidewalk, and on both sides of this path, there was a lawn.

Christine looked through the front door and tried to open it, but it was locked. "How are we supposed to get in?"

Mac shrugged and looked through the glass door. "Wait... I can see a person in there," he said and looked at Christine.

And he was right. A man was walking down the hallway in their direction. At first Mac feared that it was Bedford, but this man was not so tall as Bedford. When the man was right in front of them he unlocked and opened the door.

"Are you Mac Taylor. Detective with the NYPD?" the man asked.

Mac looked at Christine before he looked at the man. "Yes, that's me. How do you know my name and where I work?" Mac asked and looked at the man. He was just as tall as Mac, had short black hair with a little hint of gray. He was wearing blue jeans and a sweat-shirt with the label SOX on the chest.

"A man called me yesterday evening, and told me that you would come and visit your old school together with a woman," the man said and looked at Christine and gave her a smile and a nod. "I really must say, that it's against she school's policy, to allow visitors access after school hours and in the weekend. But when the man told me, that you were about to die, and therefore would like to see your old school again... I was touched."

"Did this man tell you his name?" Mac asked. He was in chock.

"Yes, Andrew Davis. I'm Ron by the way. Ron Logan. I'm the janitor here at North Park Elementary School," he said while gesturing Mac and Christine to come inside. "When you're ready to leave, then you can find my in my office."

Mac didn't know what to say, so he just nodded. Ron left the two of them and disappeared around the nearest corner.

Christine looked like a question mark and she looked at Mac. "What the hell, was all that about? You're not dying, and who is Andrew Davis? I thought that we were looking for Drew Bedford."

"It's the same person. When I lived here in Chicago his name was Andrew Davis, when he had moved to New York he changed his name to Drew Bedford," Mac said and looked at Christine.

"Why haven't you told me about him before?" Christine asked Mac and crossed her arms on her chest.

"It was before you. And and it has nothing to do with our relationship – therefore it's not important," Mac said and began to walk down the hallway. Christine followed.

"We're not finish with this topic, but now isn't the time. We'll continue when all this is over," she said looking at Mac. "Where are we going?"

"Down to my old classroom," he said. Mac had an idea that there must be another clue in there, because it was unlikely that Bedford had hidden his mother in the school, when Mr. Logan was here. "I think that he might have placed another clue in there."

When they entered Mac's old classroom they looked around. There were 30 mini chairs and mini desks, a normal sized chair and desk to the teacher. There was a blackboard and the walls were decorated with all the letters in the alphabet together with a picture of an apple, a banana, a circle and so on. This classroom even had a fish tank and a cage with a little hamster named "Bert". Mac spotted some low bookcases in the back of the classroom and he walked towards them.

"Try to find a book with nursery rhymes in it," Mac said. "Perhaps the next clue is in there." He let his index finger trace the spine of the books on the first bookcase, but non of the books contained nursery rhymes. He continued to the next case with the same result as the first bookcase. He looked over at Christine, who did the same thing. He looked back at the next bookcase, and his finger stopped on a book spine that read "100 of the best Nursery Rhymes & Songs". He grabbed the book and took hold of the front page and the back page of the book and shock it. Out of the pages fell a note just like the one they found in the photo album at home.

_Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio: a fellow_  
_of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy: he hath_  
_borne me on his back a thousand times; and now, how_  
_abhorred in my imagination it is! my gorge rims at_  
_it. Here hung those lips that I have kissed I know_  
_not how oft. Where be your gibes now? your_  
_gambols? your songs? your flashes of merriment,_  
_that were wont to set the table on a roar? Not one_  
_now, to mock your own grinning? quite chap-fallen?_  
_Now get you to my lady's chamber, and tell her, let_  
_her paint an inch thick, to this favour she must_  
_come; make her laugh at that._

_(STC)_

Mac and Christine looked at each other and then back at the handwritten note.

"It's Shakespear's "Hamlet," Christine said and looked at Mac again. "But what about the STC?"

"I don't know. It could be a lot of things," Mac said and looked at his watch. It was now 7:20 pm. He felt like he was standing with a key, but had hundred different doors to check. Without any guideline it was like looking for a needle in a stack of needles.

Christine read the note one more time and looked around. "Hmm... "Hamlet" isn't that a play?" she asked Mac and he nodded. "Is there any theaters in Chicago, who show this play right now?" she asked again.

Mac looked at her. " How on earth would I know?" he said in a harsh voice. He felt that it was a very dumb question and that he was wasting precious time.

"There's no need to be rude, Mac. I'm only trying to help," Christine said with a hurt voice and turned away from Mac. She placed herself down on one of the little chairs, and wiped away a single teardrop on her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Christine. I didn't mean to be rude, I just feel that we've reached a dead end," Mac said and squatted in front Christine. "There are many theaters in Chicago and I don't know which shows are playing or not."

"I know that you're under a lot pressure right now, but this is my very first trip to Chicago, and you know a lot more about the city than I do," Christine said quietly and looked Mac in the eyes.

Mac took both her hands and led them to his mouth and kissed every knuckle. "Please forgive me," he said. "I'm so glad that you're here with me. I don't know what I would have done, if you weren't here."

Christine got her hands free from Mac's soft grip and placed both her hands on his cheeks. "I forgive you," she said and give him a soft kiss on his mouth. "Let me have another look at the note."

Mac gave her the note and Christine studied it for a few moments. "Is there a library at this school?" she asked him. Mac looked strangely at her, wondering where she was going with this.

"Yes. Why?"

"I have an idea," she said while she was looking at him. "Would you take me there, please?"

When they arrived at the library, Christine looked around the room. And there in the middle she found what she was looking for – the librarian's computer. She turned it on and Mac looked at her.

"Christine, what are you doing? You can't just use the computer. You don't have the password," Mac said in a low voice. He felt like he was doing something wrong and against the law.

Christine ignored him and looked at the screen that slowly came to life. "ENTER PASSWORD" Damn! She looked around the table and opened up the drawers. Most women hid their passwords near the computer – just in case. She did that herself. And correctly – there on the table, a little post-it note was lying among other small notes. "NPES 753951".

She typed the password and she was in. She gave Mac a big smile. "I'm in," she said. She opened up the internet browser found the goggle search engine and in the search bar she wrote "Theater STC Chicago".

Mac looked at Christine while they were waiting for the results to pop up. After a few seconds they looked at the first search hit; _"Steppenwolf Theater Company - Chicago"_.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

"I have to give him, he is bold," Mac said while he was looking at the screen. "At this time all the theaters are packed with people."

Christine looked at Mac, and he looked as if he had been ten years older during a few hours. She felt sorry for him, because Millie was the only family member he had left. Although Mac looked at his team as his family, they weren't blood related. He had lost loved ones enough. She closed the browser, and shut down the computer.

"Come, we have to find Mr. Logan," Christine said and got up from the chair. Just as she was walking towards the door, Mac's phone made a sound. Mac got it out of his jacket pocket and looked at it. His facial expression changed from wondering into pure rage. Christine walked back to him. "What is it Mac?"

Mac didn't say anything, but handed her his phone. He had received a picture, and the sight of this picture made Christine's blood turn to ice. In a dark room and on an ancient looking chair was Millie sitting. She was sitting in a spotlight from the ceiling and she was tied up to the chair. Christine could see, that Millie was unconscious. She had some tubes, that was connected to a IV bag, in her arm. The fist thought that Christine got, was that it was some kind of sedative or anesthetic that ran through the tubes. She didn't want to look at the picture anymore, so she gave Mac his phone again. "We have to save her Mac. We should call the police," she said and looked at him.

"No, no police. It's already 7.45 pm. If the police are involved, my mother will be dead", Mac said. With one more look at the picture on the phone, he left the library.

Ten minutes later, both Mac and Christine was on their way to the theater in a taxi. Mac didn't say a word, he was lost in his own thoughts. This trip to Chicago had evolved into a pure nightmare, a nightmare that right now seemed like a never ending story.

The ride to the Steppenwolf Theater Company took roughly about 20 minutes. The taxi driver had looked a little funny when Mac had told him to bring them to the theater, but neither Mac nor Christine had noticed that. The first thing they saw, was the scaffolds around the building. One side of the building was hidden away in some kind of shielding plastic.

Mac looked at the driver. "What's happening to the theater?"

The driver looked at Mac and back to the building. "They're renovating, due to moisture damage from a leaking water pipe," he told them. "The building is closed until this fall. There's mold in large parts of the lower floors."

Mac quickly looked at Christine and the back to the driver. This new information meant, that Bedford had the entire building to himself, and it wasn't reassuring. He paid the driver for the ride and walked towards the building and Christine followed him,

"How are we supposed to get in, Mac?" she asked, wondering what his plan was. What if this Bedford person was in there and he was armed? Then they wouldn't stand a chance.

Mac neither stopped nor looked at her. He continued to the shielding plastic – found a crack in it and got in. He could hear Christine fumble with the plastic and he turned around. "Christine, you have to be more quiet," Mac whispered and found the entrance door. He pushed the door, and it opened. There was pitch dark inside, and it took a little while before his eyes had gotten used to the darkness.

Because Christine wouldn't make any noise, she had taken her shoes of, and walked on her socks. The floor was so cold and she could feel the dirt on it. "I'll never get these socks clean again," she thought to herself, but rather dirty socks than risking Millie's life. "What are er going to do Mac?" Christine whispered. "You don't have your gun with you. It's in New York."

Mac stopped. She was right. What would he do if Bedford was in here, armed? He wouldn't stand a chance to win that fight. Their only chance was to play Bedford, making him believe that he had the best hand. "Leave it to me. I have a plan – don't worry. Let's just try to find my mother," Mac whispered back at her. He took grab of her hand and they tiptoed down the hallway.

After a few minutes the came to a door, that led them to the _"The Downstairs Theater"_. Mac pushed the door ajar, but the room was pitch dark. This wasn't the right place, because on the picture his mother was sitting in a spotlight. Mac closed the door again and continued down the hall. They came to two staircases – one that let up and one that let down. Christine pointed downwards and Mac nodded. Slowly and quietly they walked down the staircase.

Twenty steps later the staircase ended. About 6ft ahead of them was another door, that led them to _"The Garage"_. Just like the first one, Mac pushed the door ajar. This room was also pitch dark and he closed the door again.

They turned around and headed back to the staircase. When they were back on the ground floor, they slowly began to walk up the other staircase. After another twenty steps, they were on the top floor. They walked down the hallway and came to a door that led them to _"The Upstairs Theater"_. Mac slowly pushed the door ajar and looked inside the room. And there in the spotlight, on the stage, in the middle of the room, was Millie sitting. The spotlight came from a huge theater light on the ceiling. The audience could sit around the whole scene – it was the most weird theater hall he had seen in his hole life.

He turned around and nodded to Christine. He closed the door again and walked away from it, and Christine followed him.

"We have to have an element of surprise," Mac whispered to Christine. They continued to walk down the hall. They rounded the corner and Christine stopped. "What?" Mac asked.

Christine pointed at a sign that said _"The Upstairs Theater – Backstage. STAFF ONLY"_. She tried to open the door, and luckily the door wasn't locked. She went inside and Mac followed her.

From inside this room, they had a good view of the theater hall, due to the huge window in the wall. They went to the window and looked out. The only person they could see, was Millie. "Bedford is probably hiding in the dark somewhere," Mac whispered to Christine. "We can use this room to our advantage."

Christine looked at Mac before she understood what he was saying. "No absolutely not," she whispered back. "I'm not letting you walk in there all by yourself. I'm coming with you."

Mac grabbed her shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "And I'm not letting you come with me. It's to dangerous. In here you'll be safe and you can help me." Mac pulled her into his arms and gave her a warm hug and a light kiss on her temple. "Look, in here you can help me down there. You can use the different controls to disable Bedford, and I can take him down. I'll be careful – I'll promise," Mac whispered and pointed with his chin at the control panel under the window.

Christine looked at Mac and all the controls under the window. She didn't agree with him, but this wasn't the right time to discuss it, so therefor she slowly nodded. "But you have to promise me one thing," she whispered and held him closer to her. "Come back safely. My world would stop if you weren't in it."

Mac looked lovingly at her and gave her a warm and deep kiss on her mouth. "Nothing could ever stop me, for coming back to you," he whispered. "I love you." And with these words he left the room, and let Christine be all alone.

"I love you too, Mac," she whispered, although she knew he couldn't hear her.

Mac walked back the hallway, back to the door that led into the theater hall. He would lie to himself if he said, that he wasn't scared – because that he was, scared. Scared for his own life. Scared for his mother's life. Scared for Christine's life. They had so much to experience together as husband and wife and they had so much they still needed to do, before they would meet their maker. Mac took a deep breath, opened the door.

Christine saw the theater door open, and she saw Mac walking in. "Please let him be okay. Please let him be okay," she chanted inside her head. She had the feeling, that her heart was stuck in her throat, a feeling she hadn't had since Mac was shot at the robbery in the pharmacy. She concentrated very hard, to see if Bedford was somewhere in the room. But he was nowhere to bee seen. She figured he was hiding in the shadows, like the coward he was. And then it hit her, what if she could turn on all the light in the room? Them Bedford had no place to hide, and Mac could see the entire room. Christine looked at the panel, but she couldn't see in the dark, so she grabbed her cell phone and brought the screen to life. That helped and she quickly searched for the right button.

Slowly Mac walked inside the theater. The only thing he could see was the stage in the middle of the room, and his mother of course. Mac looked around the theater, trying to find Bedford. Something wasn't right. Why would Bedford kidnap his mother, have him play his little riddle game, and then letting him find his mother without a fight? "Come out and fight," Mac thought while he slowly walked towards the stage. As he came closer, he could see the IV bag and the tube that was connected to the IV bag and his mother. The bag contained some kind of clear liquid. What he didn't know for sure, but his best guess would be some kind of sedative or anesthetic.

"You came," a cold voice said from somewhere in the dark. "Did you like my little game? I must say, I enjoyed making it."

Mac looked around but he couldn't see Bedford anywhere. "Why don't you show yourself, Bedford? Make this "game" of yours equal," Mac said in a hard voice.

"Why would I do that? It's more fun for me, to stand in the dark observing you."

Mac turned around and went after the sound. Even though Bedford was hiding in the darkness, Mac could just walk after the sound of his voice.

"Why don't you check on your dear mother? I'm not a doctor, but I would guess that it's lethal to mix chloroform and morphine and then feeding it to a person," Bedford said.

Mac stopped dead in his tracks and looked out in the darkness.

"Be careful, my old friend. For a guy your age, it isn't healthy to think to much. And I can see, that you are weighing the decisions up against each other. What to do? It's pretty simple. Save your mother and let me get away? Or... catch me and let your mother die?" Bedford said.

He sounded like the host of a bad TV-show, when the participating had to make a tough choice. Mac hated those kind of TV-shows and he certainly hated being in one – especially when it was invented by Drew Bedford.

"Do you have track of time?" Bedford asked. "Your mother have been on her "medicine" approximately 15 minutes."

Mac looked at the stage. There was no way she would survive a mixture of chloroform and morphine that long.

It was like Bedford could read Mac's mind. "Don't be stupid. It wasn't fun killing her right away. I kept her sedated the first couple of hours," Bedford said. "Oh come on Mac, make your choice. Tik tak... the clock is running."

It wasn't a hard choice for Mac. The only right thing to do right now, was to save his mother. He knew that he would catch Bedford in the nearest future. No one had ever gotten away from him. One almost got away – the bank robber and murderer, Ethan Scott. He had thought that he could play his little tricks on him, but Mac had taught him a big lesson. "This isn't over Bedford. I'll catch you someday," he said and ran to Millie.

"An empty threat, Mac. The damage is done. You can't save your mother. And the next person I'll kill, is your beautiful fiancee," Bedford said as he ran to the door. But the door did something that Bedford hadn't expected. Instead of opening up as he ran into it, it didn't move, so Bedford fell to the floor on his back.

Christine was proud of herself. Right after she had found the right button on the panel, she had rushed out in the hallway, and found the handle that locked the door to the theater hall. After she had locked the door, she had run back to the backstage room and waited for the right moment. She couldn't see Bedford, but she could see Mac. From his posture, she knew that Bedford was in the theater hall, hiding somewhere in the darkness. Her right moment came, when she saw Mac running towards the stage. She pressed the button and all the light in the room were lit. She saw Bedford lying on his back, down on the floor, and she saw Mac looking astonished at Bedford.

Quickly she activated her phone, pressed 9-1-1 and waited. "My name is Christine Whitney and I would like to report a crime. Could you send an ambulance and some police to the Steppenwolf Theater Company, please?"

Three hours later, Mac and Christine was sitting by Millie's bed in the hospital. According to the doctor, she would be fine, but if she had gotten more of Bedford's mixture, she would either be dead or severely brain damaged. Even though the doctor had said, that she wouldn't wake up the next may hours, Mac refused to leave her side. He hadn't spoken one word since the doctor had left the room, and he just sat on the chair with his head resting in his arms.

Christine looked worried at him. "Mac? Everything is going to be okay. Your mother will be fine, and Bedford is behind bars where he belongs. What are you thinking about?"

Mac looked at her, and took her hand in his. "I'm just thinking, it's a wonder that you still are here with me. Most people would have ran away. And I'm thinking that it's a miracle that my mother isn't dead."

"Why would I run away? We where in this mess together. I'll never gonna leave you. Ever. I love you," Christine said and looked into Mac's eyes. She stifled a yawn.

"Why don't you try to sleep. You're tired," Mac said lovingly and stroked her hand.

Christine snorted. "In these chairs? Not even if I got paid for it."

Without a word Mac got up from his chair and stood in front of Christine. He bent down and lifted her up in his arms. Mac then placed himself in the chair with Christine on his lab. "There. Now sleep. It's been a long day."

Christine snuggled up against his neck. "What about you? You can't be comfortable with me on your lab," she murmured.

"Don't worry about me Hon. Sleep," Mac said and gave her a kiss on the top of her head. He looked down at her, and she was already at sleep.

It was early morning when Millie regained consciousness. She couldn't remember much of what had happened, and she didn't know where she was. The bright light from the fluorescent lamp blinded her, so she closed her eyes. She slowly turned her head to the left and opened her eyes. She saw a hallway and people walking back and forth all the time. She then slowly turned her head the the right, and there she saw Mac with Christine on his lap. They were both asleep.

"McKenna?" She didn't recognize her own voice. It was rasping due to her dry throat.

Mac was awakened by the sound. At first he thought that it was something he had dreamed, but when he opened his eyes and looked at his mother, and he saw that she was awake. "Mom? You're awake," he said and tried to get up from the chair, without waking Christine. But as soon as he moved, Christine woke.

"Mac, what's happening?"

"She's awake," Mac said, relieved.

Christine got up as quickly as she could, and Mac walked to Millie's bed, and pressed on the little remote to the nurses station.

"Mom, I'm so sorry for all of this. This is all my fault. Can you forgive me?"

A nurse came into the room. "How are you feeling, Mrs. Taylor.? It was a close call, but you were brought in just in time," the nurse said while she was checking her pulse and her vitals.

"I have a pounding headache and I'm thirsty," Millie answered with a low raspy voice.

"I'll give you something to drink, and then the doctor will run some tests. If everything is fine, you should be home again later to night or in the morning." With these words the nurse left the room.

Later that evening, Millie got the "good to go" check and was discharged from the hospital. Before she was allowed to leave the hospital, Mac and Christine had been at her house, cleaning up. The police had been there, and Chicago CSI had been there, so the house was one big mess, and Mac didn't want Millie to get home, to a rambled house.

When they entered the house, Christine helped Millie into the living room and placed Millie carefully in her armchair. "Can I get you anything?", Christine asked. "I can cook you some dinner if you want."

"No I'm fine. I'll just need some time to recover, that's all. I'm used to take care of myself," Millie said, smiling at Christine and Mac, who had entered the room. "Won't you be late for your flight?"

Mac walked up to his mother and squatted in front of her. "Don't be silly. It's all been arranged. We're staying another couple of days. Just until you're feeling better."

Christine gave Millie's shoulder a little squeeze. "I'll go out in the kitchen and make us some food."

Millie was about to protest, but Christine interrupted her. "Forget it. I'm preparing the food. End of discussion." And with these words she left the living room.

A couple of hours later, they were all lying in their beds. Christine was snuggled up against Mac, and he was looking up the ceiling.

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Christine asked. She could feel when Mac was lost in his thoughts.

"I was just thinking of life and death in general. I've decided that I won't miss another second of my life, postponing things," Mac said and turned around on his left side, so he could see Christine.

"Oh... That's some big thoughts to have at 11.45 pm," she said.

"Yeah... But having almost lost my mother today, made me think. What would you say to be getting married tomorrow at City Hall?"

Christine sat up strait and looked at Mac, shocked. "What? What about the rest of our family and friends? They can't just drop everything they have in their hands and go to Chicago."

Mac gently stroked her upper arm. "I know that. But listen to me. We'll get married tomorrow at City Hall. My mother will be there as our witness. And we'll have a second wedding back in New York at a later date. They don't have to know that we're already married. Except for my mother, of course."

Christine shook her head, and looked at disbelievingly. "You are the most strange man, I've ever have meet."

Mac looked nervously at her. "Is that a no?"

"Okay, I'm in. But when we're back in New York, we have to have our wedding within two weeks. Three at the most,", Christine said firmly and gave Mac a huge smile.

"I love you so much, Christine. I can't wait. This is a new beginning and a new life," Mac said while he gave Christine a passionate hug and kiss. Slowly they both fell asleep in each others arms.


End file.
